“Pupils equal, round and reactive, fundus background normal,” he said to Ashley.
Ella sniffed. “Finn, how come your hair is wet?”
Finn blinked and brought a hand to his hair. Oh, yep, still damp. “Um. I was in the shower right before you called and I ran over here. I forgot all about it.” His cheeks heated when Ashley caught his eye and grinned.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” Ella said. She sounded amused. “Nothing like Luke’s in the morning.”
“I’m more concerned with making sure you guys are okay than the way I look, anyway.” Finn patted the pillow. “Lie down for me, please. Let’s make sure the seat belt didn’t hurt you.”
“Is Luke going to have to stay in the hospital?”
Finn put a hand on Ella’s back as she stretched out. “I don’t know,” he said. “With a concussion like his, we watch and wait to make sure the patient’s symptoms don’t get worse.”
“And Dr. Gallagher does a good job?” Ella snickered when Finn palpated her belly. “No tickling!”
“Sorry, my bad. Yes, Dr. Gallagher does a very good job. If I were sick, I’d want him to treat me.”
Ella hummed. “I think you’re both pretty good.”
Fifteen minutes later, Ella was dressed again and scarfing down water and a protein bar from the stash in Finn’s locker. She appeared a whole lot steadier by the time he brought her to see Luke, but Finn couldn’t say the same for himself. He’d never been in this position before, with people he cared about under ED treatment. Examining Ella had soothed some of his stress, but he felt useless being unable to doctor Luke, too.
Relief flooded through him as he scanned Luke. The cervical collar had been removed and his face cleaned of blood, and a neat white bandage covered the laceration on his temple. An IV line was running into Luke’s left hand, and though he was far too pale over the blue and white hospital gown, Finn thought he was the most beautiful thing he’d seen in a long time. Luke’s smile at seeing them brought a lump the size of a boulder to Finn’s throat.
He’ll be okay, Finn told himself and worked hard not to totally lose his shit.
Chapter Nineteen
“Hey. C’mere, girl.” Luke held out a hand. Every inch of him hurt, but seeing Ella eased the crush of fear in his chest. He swallowed when she moved to clamber up on to the bed. “Um, wait a sec—”
“It’s okay,” Finn said.
Ella shot him a questioning look. “Really?”
“Really.” Finn flashed her a small smile. “But do me a favor and be gentle, Ella. I’m sure he won’t admit it, but I’ll bet Luke’s head is killing him.” Finn helped Ella up onto the bed, then closed the privacy curtains while she gave Luke a long, careful hug.
Luke bit his lip against another swell of tears. The effort sent a terrible ache through his head and made his stomach roil, and he blew out a shaky sigh after Ella finally sat back. She held Luke’s hand tight and he knew just from looking at her that she’d been crying. He sought out Finn’s gaze again.
“She’s okay?”
“Yes.” Finn rested a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Nurse Ashley and I checked Ella out. She’s bruised from the seatbelt and sore from being tossed around but perfect otherwise. I’d like to write an order for Tylenol. Ella said she’s not allergic and she’ll feel even more sore soon.”
“Yeah, absolutely.” Luke grimaced. He thought he and Ella had been talking about lunch when things had gone all to hell, but his head was all muzzy. “We didn’t eat.”
“I had a snack while we were waiting for you,” Ella piped in.
“She ate my last chocolate CLIF Bar.” Finn made a sad face in Ella’s direction and she giggled. “I can go over to the cafeteria and grab her a sandwich, too.”
“Okay.” Luke’s stomach lurched again. A chill passed over him and though he tried to hide his shiver, Finn laid the backs of his fingers against Luke’s neck.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Still feel sick.” Luke closed his eyes. “Paul said maybe I’d need a CT.”
“What’s a see-tee?” Ella asked.
“CT is short for computed tomography, and it’s a special kind of X-ray,” Finn replied. His voice sounded tenser now, and Luke sensed he was trying to keep things light for Ella. “Dr. Gallagher may want to take one of Luke’s head to make sure everything’s okay in there. You don’t want his brains running out of his ears, right? Because ew.”
“I see you’ve got everything under control, Dr. Thomason.” That was Paul’s voice.
Luke opened his eyes as Paul stepped around the privacy curtain.
“You must be Ella,” Paul said with a friendly smile. He stepped up beside Finn and extended a hand to her. “I’m Dr. Gallagher, a friend of your uncle’s and Finn’s.”
“Yep, Finn told me who you are.” Ella shook his hand, then put it back over Luke’s.
“Great!” Paul beamed. “I’m going to ask Luke some questions so we can see how he’s doing.”
He asked Luke to identify the day of the week and the year and to repeat the words ‘table, dog, green,’ all easy tasks that somehow made Luke’s head hurt.
“What city are you in, Luke?” Paul asked.
“Boston.”
“And what hospital?”
“Finn’s.”
Paul’s lips twitched. “Can you be more specific?”
Luke sighed. “Mass General.”
“That’s right. What were you doing before you were brought to the hospital?”
“I ran a race today. And I was driving.” Luke swallowed down a bubble of fear, and his voice wavered when he spoke again. “We had an accident.” Finn rubbed his shoulder gently.
“That’s right,” Paul said. “Can you tell me the president’s name?”
“Not without swearing.”
“Fair enough.” Paul chuckled. “Do you remember the three words I asked you to repeat earlier?”
“Um.” It was a long moment before the simple pattern came back to Luke. “Table, dog, chair. No, wait. Table, dog, green.” His stomach churned again and he swallowed.
Paul nodded. “Good. You seem steadier than when you were first brought in, so let’s see how it goes for now.”
“Okay.” Luke licked his lips. He’d already learned that gritting his teeth against the nausea just made him vomit quicker and sitting up was out of the question.
“Ella, I wanted to tell Finn and you that we may need to take Luke upstairs to get a look at the inside of his head.”
“The computed tomography thing?”
“Yep, the computed tomography thing. He vomited again while you were examining Ella,” Paul said to Finn.
Finn nodded and Luke thought he went a little pale. “I figured as much.” He exchanged a glance with Paul, who quickly rounded the bed to help Ella down.
God, Luke hated being stuck in this bed. And throwing everything at Finn all at once…so not what he’d had in mind to give Finn and Ella more time together. Luke’s breath hitched and Finn bent close.
“Can you take Ella with you to the caf?” Luke asked.
Finn took hold of his hand around the IV line. “You sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t want her to watch if I hurl again.” Luke blinked. The edges of the world went soft as a powerful fatigue slipped over him.
“Shit, okay.” Finn sighed, his whole face tight and unhappy. “I’m sorry you feel so bad.”
“Me too.”
“Who should I call for Ella? Your parents? Simon because he’s closer?”
Luke stared, thrown by the question for a moment, but then he understood. Ella couldn’t just hang out here while Luke was under observation. She looked stressed and, no wonder, with Luke such a wreck. Why didn’t I think of that?
“Mom n’ Pops were stayin’ over in Salem, but yeah, they need to know,” he said and tried to pull his thoughts together. “Um. Simon drove back ahead of us. He can help if he’s home.”
“Okay. Ella still has your p
hone. We’ll make some calls while we eat.” Finn went still when Luke squeezed his fingers.
“Ella’s okay, right?” Luke whispered. He knew he’d asked that more than once, but the car was smashed and Ella had cried and Luke was too fucked up to comfort her.
Finn cupped Luke’s cheek so gently. “She was worried about you and stressed out from the accident,” he said, his voice low. Of course, he knew what Luke was asking. “I let her cry for a little while until she felt better.” Finn smoothed Luke’s hair off his forehead, and that careful touch eased Luke as much as Finn’s words. “I’ll get some more food into her and explain everything so she doesn’t feel like she’s in the dark.”
“Okay. She’ll like that.” Luke blinked against another wave of exhaustion and held Finn’s hand tight. “Thanks, Finn. I’m sorry to dump all this on you.”
Finn’s throat worked. “I’ll take good care of her,” he promised.
Ella came around the bed to stand beside Finn and Luke gave her a smile. “Finn’s gonna get you something to eat.”
“What about you?” she asked, her faced pinched.
Luke saw spots of blood on her jacket and suppressed another shiver. “I’ll be here when you get back, El. I’m not going anywhere.”
Finn gave Luke’s fingers a final squeeze then straightened up. He and Ella exchanged a glance and the weight on Luke’s heart lightened some more at their shared smile.
“Let’s go grab some food, kid,” Finn said.
* * * *
“Luke.”
Someone squeezed Luke’s shoulder, the touch light compared to the fierce ache in his head.
“Can you open your eyes for me, Luke?”
Not someone. Finn.
Luke peeled his eyelids open with a soft groan and squinted against what seemed like way too much light. The light made his head hurt more. He’d been right, though. Finn bent over him, his smile sweet.
“Hey, handsome,” he said, his gaze sharp as it moved over Luke’s face. “How’re you doing?”
“Hurts,” Luke mumbled.
“I’m sorry.” Finn leaned over Luke and touched something on the mattress beside him. “You fell asleep while Ella and I were eating, and Paul held off medicating you in favor of rest. I’ll talk to your nurse about getting you some pain relief. Keep your eyes open for me, all right?”
“M’kay. Where’s El?” Luke tried to keep the tension out of his voice. He knew Finn wouldn’t have left Ella alone. But she was nowhere to be seen, and a ball of worry formed in Luke’s gut. “She okay?”
“Yep, she’s good.” Finn rubbed Luke’s shoulder. “She fell asleep after lunch and woke up when Simon got here. He took her to change her clothes and stretch her legs, and I told them I’d wake you up. They should be back pretty soon.”
He leaned over Luke again, and this time came back with a small plastic cup. It occurred to Luke that his mouth was unbearably dry. He raised his hands for it, and grimaced when the IV line pulled. Finn’s fingers on Luke’s wrist steadied him as he brought the cup to his lips.
“Go slow. I don’t want you throwing up again because that will hurt like a bitch.”
Everything already hurts, Luke thought. Even his hair hurt, for God’s sake, and his head throbbed with an intensity that made him want to cry. Still, the water cooled his throat and Finn’s voice sounded nice as he encouraged Luke to take small sips.
The glass door behind him slid open and a cute, dark-haired woman wearing purple scrubs came to stand by the bed. Luke thought he knew her when she smiled. “Hi, Mr. Ryan. I’m Salena, and I’m sorry I ruined your shirt earlier.”
Luke managed a faint grin. “That’s how I know you.” She’d cut off his jersey and helped Paul get Luke out of his shoes and joggers and into a hospital gown. No great loss—Luke was sure there’d been blood and worse on everything.
Finn gave Luke’s shoulder another squeeze. “Luke’s ready for some pain relief,” he said to Salena. “He’s had about six ounces of water, and kept it down so far.”
“That’s good.” Salena moved to check Luke’s chart.
She said something else, probably to Finn, but Luke lost the thread of their conversation because the door slid open again and Ella appeared with Simon right behind her. Her bloodstained clothes were gone and she was wearing a pink and black tracksuit, and her face brightened with a big smile.
“You’re awake,” she exclaimed, her voice quiet.
Luke’s heart squeezed so tight it hurt. Ella glanced at Finn, who waved her in, and crossed the room. Simon gave her a leg up onto the bed and leaned over to kiss Luke’s cheek, his features worried.
“Jesus, Luke. Are you okay?” Simon’s eyes were red when he pulled back.
“Yeah,” Luke squeezed the hand Simon slipped into his.
“What the hell happened?”
Luke shook his head once and stilled as his headache bloomed, growing exponentially worse. He closed his eyes. “Ow,” he whispered. Simon’s fingers tightened around his, and Ella’s warm palm came to rest on his chest. Luke’s stomach lurched.
“Shh.” Finn rubbed his fingers along the side of Luke’s neck. “Salena’s going to give you some Tylenol, Luke, just hang on. Are you going to be sick?”
It took Luke a moment to answer. “No.”
“Okay. Breathe for me, nice and easy.”
He sensed movement around him—hushed voices and rustling—and he heard the slider open again. But Luke did as Finn told him and worked on breathing in and out.
“On a scale of one to ten, how’s your pain, Luke?” That was Paul again, his voice softer than usual.
“Um. Eight.” Luke didn’t know how to put a number on what he was feeling, but fucking hell, his head ached.
Slowly, slowly, the throbbing eased. Luke slit his eyelids open and found Finn and Ella watching him, their tension evident, while Paul made notes on Luke’s chart. Salena was working at one of the carts and Simon hadn’t moved from Luke’s other side. He looked close to losing it.
Paul glanced back up at Luke. “Better?”
“Getting there,” Luke muttered. He aimed a weak smile at Ella. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “Finn and Dr. Gallagher said you’d have a headache when you woke up.”
Luke checked her over carefully and saw she looked tired but otherwise okay. “You feel all right?”
“Yup. Finn gave me some stuff after lunch. Same as you, but pills.”
“You’re in much better shape than your uncle,” Finn told her. He turned an apologetic look on Luke. “Obviously, it’s your family’s decision, but I think Ella’s fine to go to school tomorrow. I’d like her to take a day or two off from anything sports-related, though. She may experience some muscle soreness and while the Tylenol will help, she needs rest.”
“Okay.” Luke stopped himself from nodding at the last second.
Finn turned to Simon. “I wrote everything down for you and Luke’s parents. And you can take some more pills later tonight and tomorrow before school, as needed,” he said to Ella.
Paul stepped forward to examine Luke, which meant Finn had to move away, and Luke immediately missed his touch. The headache thumped behind his eyes, but he answered Paul’s questions again and tried not to wince at the poking and prodding, though he almost balked when Paul shone a light at him.
“Outside of what I’m sure is a spectacular headache, you’re improved from a couple of hours ago.” Paul folded his hands in front of him. “I’d like to keep monitoring you for a while longer. I know you’re not eager to eat, but you need something in your system. The IV’s kept you hydrated, but you expended a lot of energy racing today and your body needs to refuel.”
Luke stifled a yawn. “Okay. I can do that.”
“I won’t admit you overnight if you keep improving,” Paul said, “and Finn wants to keep an eye on you if you are released. You should plan to take several days off from work and take it easy after you go back. The nature of your work puts s
tress on your brain, and you’ll need to limit your thinking activities. Right now, rest is your main priority.”
“We’ll make sure he does that,” Simon said, his tone firm. Luke saw him exchange a glance with Finn.
“I’ll be back to check on you,” Paul told Luke, then smiled at Ella and stuck out his hand again. “I hope I see you again very soon, Miss Ella, and definitely outside of this hospital.”
The little room seemed hushed after Paul and Finn stepped out and closed the slider behind them, but Simon drew the guest chair over to the bed and sat. His blue gaze was almost too intense.
“What can I do?” he asked Luke.
“You’re doing it,” Luke replied. “Thanks for being here.”
Simon sighed and took Luke’s hand again. “Don’t be dumb. Where the hell else would I be?”
“Having fun with Miles on your day off?” Luke smiled at Simon’s snort, but he couldn’t help feeling guilty. He didn’t have time for days off right now and being forced to stay home would create work for the people in his life. “You and Gilly are gonna get stuck with a lot of extra projects, Simon. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll work it out,” Simon replied. “You concentrate on keeping your head in one piece and let us handle the rest.”
“Okay.” Luke closed his eyes again. “Thanks for bringing El some new clothes.”
“Of course,” Simon said. “Finn told me she’d want to change. I, um, told your parents to take their time coming back after he said you were okay, too. Didn’t want them speeding.” He paused and Luke squeezed his hand. “They said they’d be here by dinnertime,” Simon continued after another beat, “and they’ll bring food to your place. Probably so I don’t stuff Ella full of pizza and Coke.”
Luke opened his eyes at Ella’s grumble.
“I love pizza and Coke.”
“Too bad, squirt. Extra salad for you tonight.” Simon wrinkled his nose at Ella and she huffed, but Luke knew from the way her lips twitched it was all in jest.
“I brought clothes for you, too,” Simon said to Luke. He gestured to a bag in the corner. “Finn said your clothes were trashed and you’d want more coverage than a hospital gown when you got out of here.”
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